Budapest - Hungary's rail network was almost completely paralysed on Monday due to a strike over pay and conditions by the largest rail workers' union, the VDSZSZ.

The industrial action began in the east of Hungary at midnight on Saturday, and was extended nationwide at 6 pm (1700 GMT) on Sunday. Hungarians woke up on Monday morning to find that there were no longer any Intercity or international services at all.

The three main railway stations in the capital Budapest were completely deserted, with only a handful of departures scheduled to leave and a few local trains bringing commuters in. The situation was similar in other cities around the country.

The rail strike is the second major disruption to Hungary's transport network in less than a week. Workers at Budapest's Ferihgegy International Airport began industrial action on Wednesday.

Since then, lengthy queues, delays and cancellations have become the norm as only one of three passenger terminals is in operation, staffed by a skeleton crew.

Striking rail workers are demanding a ten percent wage rise and a one-off payment of 250,000 forints (940 euros) for every employee from the proceeds of the recent privatisation of MAV Cargo, the spun off freight wing of the huge and loss-making Hungarian State Railways (MAV).

MAV management maintains there is "no basis" for the union's "unrealistic" demand that every one of the firm's 35,000 workers should receive such a payment.

On Monday morning, the leader of the VDSZSZ, Istvan Gasko, said that even if MAV were to meet his organisation's demands, the rail workers' union would continue its strike in sympathy with the Budapest airport employees. (dpa)